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A lot or a little?

The parents' guide to what's in this game.

Educational Value

Kirby's Dreamland Collection: Special Edition wasn't created with educational intent, and we don't recommend it for learning.

Positive Messages

This classic games collection is all about playing games with Kirby. Some of the trickier scenarios might help kids better understand the satisfaction that comes with strategy and perseverance, but that's about it.

Positive Role Models & Representations

There's no question Kirby is a good guy and that all of the enemies he fights are bad. Keep in mind, though, that while players use some of Kirby's abilities to overcome environmental obstacles, others are included solely to let kids battle the games' minions in different ways.

Ease of Play

While most of the games here were considered relatively simple in their time, modern refinements in user interface make their controls seem restrictive and sometimes downright finicky. Grown gamers will likely be able to slip back into these old-school controls more easily than kids, who may grow frustrated. The handful of new challenge stages, which employ more contemporary controls, ought to prove equally accessible for both older and younger gamers.

Violence

Most of the games in this collection see Kirby engaged in mild, cartoonish violence against highly fantastical enemies. He may breathe fire to burn them up or spit stars to knock them off the screen. A few of his abilities have slightly firmer grounding in reality. In some games he wields a sword that he uses to hit bad guys, and in others he gains access to a bow and arrow, karate moves, and even a cowboy pistol. In one scenario, a giant eye-shaped enemy seems as though he may be bleeding a little.

Sex

Language

Consumerism

This game is part of Nintendo's sprawling Kirby franchise, which includes toys and TV shows.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition is a compilation of six older Kirby games that include mild cartoon violence. Kirby is a pink blob who swallows fantastical enemies to absorb their abilities, so much of the combat is pretty tame. However, he occasionally wields semi-realistic weapons -- including a sword -- and one battle against a giant eye includes reddish damage that could be interpreted as blood. It's worth noting, too, that kids may grow frustrated by the restrictive, antiquated controls, which don't feel as comfortable or forgiving as those found in modern platformer games.

What's it about?

KIRBY'S DREAM COLLECTION: SPECIAL EDITION is a compilation of six early Kirby games spanning from Game Boy to Nintendo 64, including Kirby's Dream Land, Kirby's Adventure, Kirby's Dream Land 2, Kirby Super Star, Kirby's Dream Land 3, and Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. It also had a handful of new challenge stages designed in the same style as those in Kirby's most recent adventure, Kirby's Return to Dream Land. The package contains an audio CD containing dozens of Kirby game music tracks from the past and present as well as a booklet detailing the history of the franchise.

For those unfamiliar with Nintendo's pink puffball, he's the protagonist of over a dozen platformer games. His key ability is swallowing enemies to usurp their powers. He then uses these powers to either defeat other enemies or overcome environmental obstacles. His games are generally targeted at kids rather than adults, though he does occasionally wield lifelike weapons, including a sword.

Is it any good?

There's a good chance some parents will get more out of Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition than their kids. Not only will adults of a certain age fondly remember working through titles like Kirby's Dream Land when they were younger, they're also more likely than modern kids to have a natural feel for the series' early controls, which feel stiff and constrained compared to those of more modern entries in the series. Plus, the collection's leisurely trip down 20 years of franchise history -- which includes an interesting side app that strolls through each year in the last two decades, noting what was going on in the world at large when each new Kirby game arrived -- will almost certainly have more meaning for older players than younger ones. In the end, Kirby's Dream Collection is probably best considered a kind of interactive collectible best suited for long-time Nintendo fans.

Talk to your kids about ...

Families can talk about classic video games. What do you think of the monochromatic Game Boy games contained in this collection? Do you think you would still be interested in games if they all looked like this? Ask your parents if they remember playing some of these games.

Families can also discuss perseverance. Does beating a boss in a game feel more satisfying if it's harder? In the real world, do you feel a greater sense of accomplishment if you need to strive to achieve a goal?

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